Spin the Bottle
by BaileyChabot
Summary: Gail and Holly are in high school, trying to deal with their sexuality. They discover that the other is also a lesbian.
1. Chapter 1

**Spin the Bottle**

She wasn't sure what had inspired her to attend this party. It wasn't her best friend Lisa's argument of "You have to come, Hol!" and it certainly wasn't her interest in getting drunk off wine coolers, which was non-existent. If she was being honest with herself, it was because she needed to get away from the thoughts that had been burdening her for the last few months. That creeping realization that boys didn't give her that butterfly feeling in her stomach or that she didn't think of the guys in any of her classes as more than friends.

So for the first time in her short life, she'd decided to ease up and let loose, which is how she ended up at this party with the rest of her high school. She'd been slowly sipping her beer, casually moving from room to room. She wandered into one of the bedrooms, thinking her 'teenage rebellious stage' that had started a few hours ago was about to end and it was time to go home, when she stumbled, quite literally, into a game of spin the bottle.

Everyone looked up at her.

She turned to make a hasty exit when a voice called out. "Leaving so soon, Stewart? You afraid?"

She took a deep breath and squeezed into the circle. She wasn't one to cower at taunts and she certainly didn't cave to peer pressure, but when she saw the smug look on Gail Peck's face, her competitive side kicked in.

"Fine" she replied with confidence. "I'll even go next," she said as she spun. As soon as she let go of the empty beer bottle, she looked around at the group. She realized that she was sitting in a circle with some of the most popular kids at school. _This is will be interesting_ she thought to herself.

She was quickly losing her confidence and could feel her heart rate increase as the bottle slowed. And then stopped. Pointing right at Gail Peck.

_Fuck._

She forced her false bravado, smirked and started to move across the circle.

"What are you doing, nerd?" Gail asked her with a raised eyebrow. She could hear the other kids snickering.

"It's spin the bottle. Aren't we supposed to kiss?" The other spin the bottle participants started laughing even harder.

"Yeah, we're playing 'who are you going to sleep with tonight?'" she said slowly.

"Oh," was all Holly could manage.

"And you just got me. So let's get this over with," she snarked as she got up from the circle and headed for the door. Holly sat frozen. "Now, Stewart," she demanded.

She picked herself and followed Gail down the hall to another room. Gail had opened the door ahead of her and Holly could her barking at everyone to get out. When Holly passed through, Gail closed the door and locked it. Holly started to panic.

"Listen," she started, "I know I was trying to act all tough back there, but I-"

"Relax, Stewart. We're not having sex," she said she flopped onto the bed and pulled out her phone. Holly stood with her mouth agape, unsure of what just happened. She hadn't wanted to have sex with Gail, or anyone else, tonight, but she was confused about why the blonde had even been part of the game if she hadn't been serious about it.

Then it hit her.

"Is it because I'm a girl?" she asked as she crossed her arms, more annoyed than afraid of the answer. Gail sighed and put her phone down.

"No, it's not because you're a girl. And even if it was because you're a girl, it doesn't mean I'm homophobic, it could just mean that I'm not sexually attracted to women, so ease up on the judgement. Nobody would be surprised if you were a lesbian and didn't want to have sex with a man." Holly was on the defensive immediately, afraid that people already knew her secret.

"What do you mean 'if I was a lesbian'?" she snapped.

"Take it easy, tiger. I didn't mean that you _are_ a lesbian, I was just speaking hypothetically," she said with wide eyes and a shake of her head. Holly unclenched, recognizing that she'd overreacted.

"Right. You do have a good point though, about sexual attraction."

"I know," she replied as she sat up and looked at her.

"Look, if you want to rejoin, my feelings aren't hurt," Holly told her. Gail was shaking her head before she'd even finished the sentence.

"Nope. Do you think I want to have sex with any of those disgusting boys?" she scoffed.

"You didn't think they were cute?" she asked surprised. Gail was good looking and popular. Or rather, she seemed like she didn't care what anyone thought and people were drawn to that, meaning people revered Gail more than liked her. She did particularly well with the other boys, or so Holly had thought.

"You did?" Gail asked.

Holly shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. I guess they're good looking. Why did you agree to participate if you had no intention of sleeping with them?"

Gail just looked at her but didn't respond. "Why did you join the circle?" she asked instead.

"I thought it was _actual_ spin the bottle, not screw-a-random game," she answered with a hint of condescension.

"Yet you followed me in here."

"Yeah, but I told you right away I didn't want to have sex with you," Holly bit back.

"No, you just wanted everyone to think we were having sex," Gail replied with a self-satisfied smirk.

Holly shook her head, not wanting to get pulled into a stupid argument. "What were you going to do if the bottle had landed on one of those boys?" she asked out of curiosity.

Gail shrugged again. "Why do you care?"

"I guess I just don't understand why you would agree to do something you hadn't wanted to do in the first place," she replied as she sat on the bed next to her.

"It's just easier that way," Gail sighed.

"Easier to sleep with someone than to not?"

"Easier to sleep with boys than…" Gail let the sentence trail off.

Holly's eyes grew wide. "You're… a lesbian?" she whispered.

Gail's eyes immediately hardened. "If you tell anyone, Stewart, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your high school days," she growled.

"No, no!" she said quickly with her hands up in surrender. "It's just, I've been feeling that maybe I don't like boys either and I'm happy and relieved, I guess, that I'm not the only one who feels that way," she said with a smile.

Gail nodded. "Have you told anyone?"

"No. I'm still trying to work it all out. Actually, it's not that I'm trying to figure out if I like girls or not- I do- it's that I'm still getting over the shock," she tells her, surprised at the relief she feels at finally saying it out loud.

Gail turned to look her in the eye. Holly couldn't believe the sadness there. All this time she'd thought Gail was a bitch, but maybe it was just an act. "Have you ever kissed a girl?" Gail asked.

"No"

"Me neither," she whispered.

"Well, I did spin the bottle and it did point at you, so I think it's only right if we kiss."

Gail smiled. "I'm all about keeping my word."

Holly took a deep breath. She could hear Gail do the same. She leaned in slowly, a feeling of exhilaration mixed with trepidation was coursing through her veins. Her first kiss! Her first _real_ kiss!

Gail's lips gently pressed against hers. She could feel how soft and full they were against her own. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt Gail part her lips. Her tongue danced along Holly's lips, asking for entrance. She couldn't say no. She could taste Gail's lip chap mixed with the beer she'd been drinking.

As they parted, Holly couldn't stop from grinning like an idiot. She opened her eyes and saw the same expression on Gail's face. "Yeah, I'm definitely gay," she said. Gail laughed.

"Me too," she giggled as she leaned in.


	2. Spin the Bottle Part 2

**Spin the Bottle-Part 2**

(Part 1)

She'd been looking forward to Monday morning all weekend, getting to lay eyes on the blonde, talking to her, maybe even getting her to smile again. She'd spent her waking hours thinking about _the kiss_, as she referred to it, despite there having been more than one. The smell of Gail's shampoo, the electric charge that sparked between the two of them, but mostly, the feel of Gail's lips against her own. She sighed.

"What are you smiling for, Hols?" Lisa asked as she got on the bus and took her seat next to the brunette.

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing," she replied, coming back to the moment. Holly hadn't even noticed her until she sat down.

"Suuuuuure," Lisa replied, not letting her off the hook that easily. Holly playfully rolled her eyes at her friend, which reminded her of Gail and that made her smile again.

"You have the worst poker face, Stewart. I mean the _worst_," Lisa said with a gentle elbow to Holly's ribs.

"A girl can't just be happy? It's spring, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping. There are a lot of reasons to be smiling."

"I'm only letting this go for now because I want to hear all about this spin the bottle situation you got yourself into. Did you have sex with Gail Peck?" she asked with excitement. Lisa was the busybody of the group.

"I didn't have sex with Gail Peck," Holly replied.

"That's not what I heard. There are rumours that you guys did it a few times, actually. You were in a room with her for a while, and Rachel said when she saw you afterward, you were a bit frazzled and had chapstick all over your face." Holly exhaled deeply.

"Lisa, I promise, I did not have sex with Gail Peck."

"Good. Cause if you lose your virginity and I have to hear about it through the grapevine, I'll be pissed."

"You know that my virginity isn't really any of your business, right?"

"Of course it is! We're best friends! PS you're not going to lose it if you keep sneaking off at parties to locked rooms with girls. Everyone is going to think you're a lesbian," Lisa told her as she stood up to get off the bus. Holly muscles stiffened.

"What's wrong with being a lesbian?" she responded defensively as she hurried to catch up to her friend.

"Nothing. My aunt is a lesbian and she's the coolest woman I know. I'm just saying you aren't, and boys aren't going to want to date you if they think you're dykedelic." Holly listened to Lisa tell her this as she held her books to her chest. Was this girl so oblivious? Holly hadn't ever had a boyfriend, but she'd certainly never claimed to have wanted one either. She walked behind Lisa, silently contemplating this.

"Seriously, Hols. What's up? You were thrilled 5 minutes ago, now you look like someone peed on your cornflakes."

"Nothing," Holly forced a smile. "Everything is great. I'll see you in math," she lied as she made her way to her own locker and her first class. She took a deep breath when she collected her things for her English class. Then her heart sped up. English was her only class with Gail. She smiled again.

She walked into the nearly full class, needing an extra minute to compose herself at her locker. She was thrilled that there were only a few open seats, one of which was next to the girl who'd been running through her thoughts for the past 48 hours. She sat next to Gail, smiling. The blonde didn't even turn her head; she looked at her notebook instead.

"Hey, Gail," she said quietly, not wanting to draw attention. The blonde swiveled her head so that Holly could see the piercing blue of her irises. She didn't utter a syllable. Holly pinched her eyebrows together in confusion. "Hi?" she tried again.

The blonde blinked slowly at her and turned to face the front of the room. Holly nodded and turned to face the whiteboard as well. She could feel her heart hammering through her chest. If she had been nervous before, she felt immensely worse now; embarrassment, anger, confusion, frustration, all coursing through her veins, threatening to explode through her lungs, past her vocal chords, and out of her mouth as a guttural cry. But she did nothing. She wasn't going to give Gail the satisfaction of knowing she'd devastated her. She sat and took notes, but she knew if she was given a pop quiz right now, she'd be able to answer none of the questions, she was so distracted by her thoughts.

When the hour-long class finally ended, she let Gail leave ahead of her, pretending to reorganize her notebook. She managed to make it to her locker without exploding. She had her head stuck inside, mindlessly digging through her bag, trying to breathe, refusing to let any tears fall. She took another deep breath and marched off to her next class, determined not to let the blonde affect her education. She would get through this day.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting thus far! There will be 8 parts total, so five more to go!

The hurt and confusion, not to mention the frustration and anger, took their sweet time subsiding, as they are prone to do. In the meantime, Holly clammed up. She continued to live her life, but Gail's snub had been felt so deeply, it was as though her heart thickened and gnarled, trying to protect itself from future damage and in the process steeled itself against all emotion. She knew Gail had felt for her what she had felt for Gail. They had chatted and giggled and kissed. Holly might be naïve, but she wasn't stupid; Gail had felt the spark, there was no way she couldn't have.

The worst part, the part that kept Holly up at night, was that Gail had the same secret Holly did. They were both wearing invisible scarlet 'L's and Holly had thought that they could create support for each other, if not date. It was so insulting that Gail would be so flippant toward that evening; if Holly were so inclined, she could announce their shared secret and destroy both of their lives in a fiery ball. It would be almost poetic. At least Gail would notice her then.

She sighed as she continued to stare at the same page in her biology textbook. The same one she'd been trying to read for the last hour, to no avail. "Uhhhhhh," she moaned as she rested her forehead against the book, "stupid teenage hormones."

"It gets easier as you get older. Trust me, kiddo," the baritone of her father came through the door.

"You can come in, dad. You don't have to stand outside my door," she told him.

"Didn't want to invade your privacy," he smiled as the door parted to reveal his face. He was a sweet man, but king of the 'talk to your mother about girl problems'. They had always had a strong relationship, but it was awkward when the subject of puberty, or sex, or dating came up. So they both knew to steer clear of those topics, unless he was feeling particularly paternal.

"So… you're learning about hormones?" he asked. Holly blinked a few times, trying to figure out why he asked that.

"Oh, no. We're learning about meiosis and mitosis."

"Oh. Something got you down then, Holly-bear?" She smiled at the use of her pet name.

"Everything is fine, dad. I promise."

"You sure? You know, I could get out there and give some boy a good talkin' to if he needs it," he nodded his head sternly. She smiled and looked at the ground. _If only it were so simple._

"I'm sure, dad. Classes are just getting tough and I need to keep my marks up so I can keep my scholarship," she lied.

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, like some ice cream or something, you know your old dad is good for it."

"I know."

"Good." He started to leave, but then stopped. "Uh, are you expecting a friend?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"This blonde girl about your age keeps walking past the house. She looked like she was going to walk up the steps a couple of times, but then she just kept walking. I was going to invite her in, but I didn't want to be a weirdo dad."

"A blonde girl?"

"Yeah. She's due by any minute now, if you want to have a look." He pointed to her bedroom window. She got up to look, just in time to see the outline of Gail Peck, hands in pockets, saunter past the house and look up into Holly's bedroom window. The eye contact made her stop walking. Even from where she was standing, she could tell Gail was nervous. She could see the tense muscles in her neck and how she continually licked her lips. After a few seconds of staring, Gail turned and headed for their front door. Holly let her father answer it.

"I told you it was your friend, Holly!" he called from down the hall. She could hear him telling her which room was Holly's and the sound of the hardwood floor creaking as she neared her room. She leaned casually on the door frame, despite refusing to meet Holly's eyes.

"So…" Gail started, but didn't continue. Holly sat still in her chair, not giving up any ground. Realizing Holly wasn't going to make this easy on her, she took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. She sat down and curled her knees up to her chest and picked at the hem of her pants.

"So…" she tried again. "I was kind of a dick the other day." She looked up at Holly who was sitting on her desk chair, arms crossed, stone-faced. "A really big dick. And I… I'm sorry," she stuttered out her apology. Holly didn't respond.

"Okay. Now you say words," Gail mumbled.

Holly didn't even know where to start, so she just sat quietly. The apology she'd been wanting, the explanation she'd been needing, all of a sudden felt flat. Her tongue traced her back molars while her brain wrestled with her thoughts.

"What would you like me to say, Gail?" she finally asked in a neutral tone, one that matched the expression on her face. Blue eyes met her own with confusion and suspicion. She thought the words were a trap. "I'm serious. I don't know what to say to that. Thank you for apologising for your abhorrent behaviour, I guess?"

"That's not really fair," Gail tried to defend herself, "I have a _lot _to lose here." The comment felt like a slap in Holly's face.

"Oh, and _I_ don't?" she countered, trying to temper her rage. Her father was down the hall watching TV and she didn't want him to hear this conversation. "You think it will be easier on me when they call me names in the halls? That I'm not terrified of my family rejecting me?"

Gail opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind. She just sat and took Holly's anger. "You're right," she said quietly. "You're right," she repeated, this time with more force. She licked her lips again and managed to meet Holly's eyes.

"So… what then?" Holly asked. Gail nibbled on her lip. Then she shrugged.

"I don't know. I only got to the part where I apologise for being an asshole. I didn't really think past that." Holly smiled for the first time since laying eyes on Gail today.

"Can we agree to at least be allies? You know, look out for one another?" Holly asked.

"I'd… I'd like to be more," the blonde told her as she stood up. Gail was impressed that she'd found the courage to admit her feelings out loud, but the nerves she felt were translated in her body language. Hands fisted into pockets and a sudden interest in Holly's floor, made her miss Holly's second smile.

"I'd like that too," Holly replied. "Why don't I get us some tea and we can talk this through?" Gail looked up. Despite Holly's sweet yet confident demeanor, she could see her own vulnerability reflected back in Holly's tense mouth and darting eyes. They were both apprehensive, and Holly with good reason. Gail already had strike one.

"No milk, lots of sugar," she smiled timidly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Spin the Bottle-Part 4**

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Holly's cheeks were sore. The muscles were tired from smiling and laughing and the skin burned from when Gail stroked the pad of her thumb along their prominent ridges. The thought of the past few hours made Holly smile again, having no regret for the pain it caused her.

They had talked for a few hours, discussing boundaries in their budding relationship, both physical and emotional, and how it was going to work when they were in public. They both agreed to take things slow, to feel it out, and they both agreed that they would be friends at school. It would help them get to know each other better and not put pressure on themselves.

More exciting still, Holly asked Gail to a movie on Friday and Gail had agreed. Actually, the blonde's response was, "only if we see the new one with Margot Robbie; she's totally hot," then blushed profusely at the admission. Holly wasn't even upset; she was thrilled that she had someone to say these things to now, even if it did include the objectification of women with the girl she was dating.

She sighed deeply as she stared at the random patterns the stucco on her ceiling made. She was dating Gail. The last thought that passed through her conscious mind before succumbing to sleep was Gail blushing when Holly had kissed her cheek goodbye. She was so smitten.

The next morning on the bus she was smiling again and it didn't go unnoticed. "Hey, Dr. Jekyll," Lisa said skeptically as she sat next to her friend. Holly just rolled her eyes.

"Haha Lisa, very funny. I had a few bad days and today I look happy. English class has given you a wealth of references."

"A few bad days? Hols, Monday I got on the bus and you looked like an eight year old on her way to Disneyland. Three hours later, you looked like your dog died and you refused to talk about what was upsetting you. You were a shell of yourself for a few days, then today you're back to Monday's chipper self. Seriously, you've been having some intense mood swings these last few days. You know if you're bipolar you can tell me, right?" Lisa finished with a hand on Holly's and a sympathetic look.

"I am not bipolar, Lisa. I had a rough couple of days and I didn't want to talk about it. I'm feeling better today, so I'm smiling," Holly replied with a hint of exasperation. After having had to deal with Lisa's dramatic outburst for the past few years she felt like she deserved a few days of not being 100% herself.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Pinky swear," Holly rolled her eyes.

"Good. Cause I met this boy last night," Lisa started with barely contained glee. Holly took a deep breath and steadied herself for the long story that was about to assault her ears.

By the time they'd gotten to school and parted ways, Holly had gotten a play-by-play rundown of the minute details of Lisa's very minor interaction with Ty, a 20 year old boy who'd come into the movie theatre where Lisa worked. She nodded along like a good friend, but was too distracted to really pay attention. She was on her way to English, to see Gail.

The closer she got to class, and the further she was from Lisa, her excitement was slowly being pushed to the corners of her mind by a more powerful force: doubt. What if Gail reacted the same way she did Monday? What if, worse than that, she said something awful or called her names? How would she react then? Would she be able to keep it together?

As her heart once again hammered through her chest, she stepped into the classroom. This time it was nearly empty with the exception of a few students and Mr. Hanes, the teacher. She found a seat in the middle of the room with plenty of space around her and immediately engrossed herself in their assigned novel. Even though she was just staring at the words on the page and not actually processing the words, she felt better that she wasn't just staring at the door, waiting.

When Gail finally arrived, she bee-lined to the seat next to Holly.

"Hey," she said with a cute smile.

"Hi," Holly replied, with a matching grin. They didn't say much through the rest of the class, except when Gail asked to borrow a pencil, and parted ways shortly after, but Holly felt that it had been the perfect interaction; acknowledgement of, but not devotion toward, Gail.

The day kept on, much the same. The two girls smiled to each other when they passed by in the halls, but never exchanged any words. Not verbally, anyhow. During a break between classes, Holly did check her phone to find several texts from Gail.

"_You're cute when you're focusing on the lesson" _

"_I bet if stare hard enough, I could send you a message telepathically. I'm going to try tomorrow in English."_

"_I'm so hungry I could eat an entire vending machine. What's your favourite snack?"_

Holly felt her heart flutter as she read the messages. _This is going to work, _she thought as she headed off to math.


	5. Chapter 5

**Spin the Bottle-Part 5**

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

"So, I was thinking," Gail said quietly to the magazine she was reading on Holly's bed. Holly was sitting at her desk, reviewing the day's math lesson.

"Hmm?" Holly replied as she turned to look at her.

"I was thinking," Gail repeated, still not looking up, "That I should take my girlfriend out on a proper date." She was refusing to look at Holly, a slight blush creeping up her neck. Holly was thrilled, not only because Gail wanted to take her out, but because she didn't miss the fact that she called her 'her girlfriend'.

"Oh, really? And where do you think you should take her?" Holly asked.

"Well, she's pretty nerdy and likes science a lot, so I was thinking I'd take her to the brain exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre, and then maybe for some sushi if we aren't completely grossed out by the brains, cause I know that's her favourite," she said as she stared intently at the images on the page in front of her. The giddiness Holly felt propelled her across the room. She hopped on the bed and placed a soft kiss on Gail's still reddening cheek.

"I'd love to," she smiled.

"Who said I was talking about you, nerd?" Gail finally met her eyes as she teased the brunette, her face flush red. Holly rolled her eyes and kissed the blonde full on the mouth.

"You can tell your _other_ girlfriend that she'll have to fight me for you," Holly said as she snuggled into the crook of Gail's neck.

"Nah," she replied. "I'm all yours."

Friday evening came and Gail arrived at Holly's doorstep to collect her. She'd borrowed her parents' car so she could take Holly out in style. She was proud of herself, in fact, for being so forthright about her feelings- or at least, as forthright as Gail ever was about anything. She was mentally congratulating for making it this far into the date without puking, she was so nervous. She was dressed in her nicest jeans, a casual top, and her favourite leather jacket. She knew she looked good. She took a deep breath and headed for the front door. Before she even knocked, it flew open to reveal a beaming Holly in jeans and a blazer. Gail just stared.

"Hi," Holly finally said, pulling her from her reverie.

"Hi," Gail snapped out of her reverie. "I, uh, brought you these," she said as she stuffed the package she was carrying into Holly's hands.

"Did you bring me flowers?" Holly asked, amazed at the sweet gesture.

"I did," Gail smiled sheepishly.

"Wait… Why are some of them burnt?" Holly asked.

"I overcooked a couple of them," Gail shrugged. "But most of them should be cooked perfectly."

"Why did you cook these? Gail, did you make me flowers out of -"

"Bacon," the blonde finished the sentence for the brunette. She looked very proud of herself. "I figured it still counted as bringing you flowers, but that it would also make a great snack on the way to the science centre. Two birds, one bouquet of bacon flowers." Holly laughed as she placed a quick kiss on the blonde's cheek.

"Let's go, Casanova."

"That was sooo cool, Holly! All those brains? They were real human brains!" Gail exclaimed loudly as she stuffed another salmon roll into her mouth. Gail was so animated, so wide-eyed with wonder, Holly could only sit and observe. The blonde was waiving her arms wildly, speaking louder than any other patron in the restaurant by several decibels, and speaking with her mouth full as she continued to shovel more food in. By all accounts, she was extremely obnoxious. Holly was absolutely smitten.

"I mean, the tour guide was boring, but all those brains were awesome!" she said.

"I know. The brain is impressive, isn't it? Did you know that researchers in the States have found that HIV can settle in the brain as early as four months after infection and can genetically mutate so that it's different from the HIV in the rest of the body? It makes treating the disease that much more difficult," Holly told the blonde. Gail puckered her face.

"Of course you'd know more about brains than the brain exhibit at the science museum. You're such a nerd, Nerd," she teased. Holly rolled her eyes, but a blush creeped up her neck at the pet name.

"Anything else for you ladies?" the waiter interrupted as Gail stuffed the last roll into her mouth.

"No," she told him through rice and seaweed. "Juff da sheque." He turned to Holly for an interpretation, a look of disgust on his face.

"Just the cheque, please," she smiled. The waiter nodded and pulled two billfolds from his apron, setting one in front of Holly, the other in front of Gail. The blonde noticed immediately.

"We'd only like one bill, please," she told him and quickly grabbed Holly's billfold away from her. She winked at Holly.

"You don't have to pay, Gail. You've already done so much. I don't mind paying my share," Holly said.

"Absolutely not!" she said and gave the waiter a look that said 'go now if you know what's good for you'. "Besides, I want to feel you up on the car ride home," she whispered when the waiter left, with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Holly laughed.

"You are incorrigible!" Holly told her.

"Maybe," Gail shrugged, "But you like it."

"Oh, God," Holly sighed, "I do like it." They both smiled.

"Come on, Nerd. Your chariot awaits."


	6. Chapter 6

**Spin the Bottle-Part 6**

**Fair warning: this chapter doesn't end well and there is some very harsh language. Just know that I'm going to fix it.**

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)

School was much of the same of the same after their date. Gail and Holly gave each other plenty of space at school while being polite and cordial. Gail continued to text Holly throughout the day with her thoughts and musings. They'd get together after school, under the guise of doing homework, to spend their evenings together exploring their relationship, mostly talking and occasionally kissing. Holly was thrilled.

"What are you doing next year?" Gail broke Holly's train of thought as they watched Friends reruns.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Next year. What are you plans?" she said again. Holly looked at the blonde; she had the same vulnerable look she had been wearing the night she came to apologise . Holly knew she had to tread lightly so as not to trample on this delicate thing that was growing between them.

"I have a few scholarships to different schools. I haven't made a commitment to any of them yet. What are you planning on doing?" she asked Gail as she stroked a piece of loose hair behind the blonde's ear. The intent had been to calm her and the effect was Gail nearly purring at the action. Holly giggled. Gail's cerulean eyes shot open and gave Holly a look of mock annoyance.

"I have dutifully accepted my offered spot at the University of Toronto," she replied. Holly's face fell. Gail could sense the change in her demeanor. "You didn't apply to the U of T, did you?" she said with defeat. Holly shook her head. Gail nodded and looked at the floor.

Neither said much as Joey got his head stuck in Chandler and Monica's door, and even less was said when the episode came to an end. Holly didn't know what to say, particularly since she could feel Gail closing herself off. She could feel the blonde tense up and roll away from her, as if she was preparing for an end she already knew was coming.

When the credits rolled, Holly had had enough. "Gail, just because we aren't at the same school, doesn't mean we can't make this work. I've been offered spots at McMaster in Hamilton and University of Waterloo in Kitchener. They're both a short drive away. We can spend the weekends together," she pleaded, as if trying to convince Gail of a future she couldn't see. The blonde nodded weakly.

"Mmmhmmm," she said. "Look, I should get going. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said to Holly as she started to collect her things.

"Okay," Holly replied as she watched the blonde move about the room. She got a chaste kiss on the cheek as Gail headed to the door. When she heard the blonde get into her parents' car and pull out of the driveway, she fell back on her bed. _Why does it have to be so complicated? _

The next day at school Gail was reserved. She still smiled at Holly in the hall, but she didn't send any texts and she didn't seem as lively as she usually did. Holly decided she would remedy that. She searched her bag for all the spare change she could find and at lunch headed to Gail's locker.

The blonde was standing next to one of her friends, Cassie, chatting while she put her books away. Holly approached them with a pleasant smile.

"Hey," she said. Gail turned around, surprised to see Holly.

"Hey," she replied.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch. I don't think I have enough change to buy the entire vending machine, but I could get at least four bags of chips if we use all the nickels and dimes," Holly asked as she shook her handful of coins.

"What?" Cassie interrupted. Both Gail and Holly looked at her. "You want to buy Gail lunch?" she continued. It dawned on Holly that maybe she was being too forward in her suggestion, too public, maybe. But it was too late to back out now, she'd already made the offer.

"Yeah," she replied with a shrug. Gail stood silently.

"You just can't get rid of this one, can you?" Cassie sneered. "She's a stage five clinger, isn't she, Gail?" she said as she looked at the shocked blonde.

"Who's a clinger?" Mark, another one of the popular kids asked as he approached.

"This one," Cassie pointed at Holly. "She slept with Peck last week and now she can't get enough."

"I didn't think she was a dyke," Mark said to Cassie as if Holly wasn't standing right there, despite him looking right into her eyes.

"She obviously is. She dug through her couch for change to buy Gail some chips," she said. Holly could feel her face start to flush with embarrassment.

"Someone is digging through a couch? Why?" another voice, this one belonging to Aubrey, joined in on the conversation.

"This one," Cassie said as she pointed to Holly. "She's been creeping on Peck ever since their romp."

"Ewww." Aubrey made a disgusted face at Holly.

Holly wanted to say something, but she was so stunned that she could hardly manage to keep up with the conversation. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but the look on Gail's face made her stop. Gail was just as stunned as Holly was, with an added look of terror.

"Why don't you just tell her to fuck off, Gail?" Aubrey asked. All eyes turned to the blonde. Holly watched as Gail's eyes darted about the group, looking at each and every one of them. Finally, eyes of cobalt turned to Holly. Gail's face was set, her eyes empty.

"Fuck off. Dyke."


	7. Spin the Bottle Part 7

**Spin the Bottle-Part 7**

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)

Holly didn't even hear the coins shatter the silence as she turned to walk away from her tormentors. She needed to distance herself from these people, from this situation, from Gail. She needed to breathe.

She marched out the front door of the school and started running the moment her feet hit the sidewalk, her mind not caring where her body took her. She tried to calm down, to wipe the tears, to take even breaths, but more she tried, the more upset she became. She didn't realise she was crying until she felt the moisture streaking down her cheeks and onto her shirt as she loped down the street, stopping only when she got to a city park.

Winded, she slowed to a walk. The fury that coursed through her veins matched only the shame she felt rotting in her gut. She gave up and sat on a bench, letting the emotions wash over her as they may.

Sobs wracked her body like an earthquake, tremors coursing through her muscles and hitching her breath. The sound of Gail's three ugly words echoed through her mind as the pain they caused seared through her neurons like a jolt of electricity. Finally, when she had nothing left in her, when she felt weak from the expulsion of emotion, she closed her eyes and rested on the table.

She returned to the school, slowly and defeated, collected her things and informed the administration that she wasn't well and was heading home for the day. Once she got home, she fell into bed. Exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.

"Holly-bear, you have a visitor," her father called through the door as he knocked a few times. "It's your blonde friend again," he said cheerfully as he opened the door a crack. Holly looked over at her bedside clock. It read 7:07.

"Hey," Gail said as she slid through the door. She didn't sit, just stood with her back against the wall.

"Please leave, Gail," she managed to utter with a shaky breath. She didn't move from her position, lying on her stomach, looking at the wall.

"Holly, please-" Gail pleaded, but the brunette cut her off.

"No. It's okay that you aren't ready to be out. It's okay that you are still figuring yourself out. But you outed me today, to the entire school. You did that, Gail. _You._" She turned to look at the blonde. Holly's voice was trembling, with anger or frustration, she wasn't sure.

She was bursting with emotion. She wanted to shake the Gail, who seemed to be struggling with her own internal war, and demand how she could _twice _ruin something Holly thought could be so perfect. She wanted to accuse her of being insensitive, of being careless, but the pain written across the blonde's face made it obvious that that just wasn't true. Instead, she whispered, "How could you do this to me?"

Gail felt the reality of the destruction her actions caused standing right in front of her. How _could_ she have done that? How _could_ she be so careless with Holly's feelings, particularly when they were the same feelings Gail herself felt? She opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped. She finally looked up. The devastation on Holly's face rocked her all over again, as if she didn't already deeply regret uttering those three goddamn words.

"I'm sorry."

"That's not good enough."

The tears finally started streaming down Gail's face. "What can I do Holly? How can I make this better?"

"I think you've already done enough, Gail. I think you should leave now." She put her words into action by purposefully standing up and opening up her bedroom door.

"Please, Holly. We can make this work. We can figure this out," Gail pleaded.

"No, Gail. We can't." The finality of Holly's statement was enough. She dropped her head and moved toward the door.

"I _am _sorry, Holly," she whispered before she passed through the frame.

"I know," she heard Holly whisper back as she closed the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Spin the Bottle-Part 8**

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

"Hey Holly-bear," her father's voice came through the phone.

"Hey, dad, how are you?" she asked, pleased to have him call.

"Oh, you know your old dad. Fit as a fiddle." Holly giggled like a little girl.

"How's mom?" she asked.

"She's out gardening right now. She says she's going to have the nicest flowers beds on the street this year." She could hear the pride in his voice. They really were in love and Holly always wished for that with her own wife someday.

"I'm sure she will. What's up, dad? I saw that you called."

"I'm just calling to let you know that you've received a letter here."

"A letter?" she asked. She received all her mail at her parents place for the ease of it; she moved almost every twelve months as a student. She wasn't sure why a letter would constitute a phone call; they took in her mail daily. "Who from?" she asked.

"Just let me get my glasses." She could hear him shuffling in the background. "Ummm, from a G. Peck." Her heart stopped. Gail Peck? "Holly-bear? You still there?" he asked.

"Yeah, dad. I'll pick it up this weekend, okay?"

"Sounds good. And stay for dinner. I'll make my famous fancy mac and cheese for my fancy doctor daughter." She smiled at that.

"Doctor in training, dad," she corrected.

"Well that's not what I tell my friends," he said proudly.

Arriving at her parents' place that weekend, she was more than a little curious to read the letter that Gail had sent. She found it right away on the coffee table and tore it open.

_Dear Holly,_

_I'm writing this letter for a lot of reasons, but mostly to apologise to you. I was impetuous, I was a brat. I still am. I know it's a few years late and, quite frankly, not enough, but I don't want to end up a sad, sorry woman who leaves nothing but destruction and collateral damage in her wake. I'm trying to change that._

_First of all, I'd like to say that you never deserved the way I treated you. Outing you to the school was such an act of cowardice; I'm ashamed still. When you told me that we weren't going to be at the same university, I panicked. I didn't think you'd want to stay with me, that you didn't want me to hold you back. So I lashed out before you could even have a chance to consider leaving me. _

_Second, I've heard through the grapevine that you're on your way to medical school now. Congratulations! I always knew you were going to be a big nerd. Third, I want you to know that karma is a bitch and has bitten me in the ass._

_My marriage (to a man) is in the process of ending. After high school, I continued to deny my feelings. It was fine at first. I met who will soon be my ex-husband not long after graduation. He was… fine. He had ambition so my mom liked him and he was indifferent enough toward me that I could handle the relationship. Needless to say, it was doomed. We didn't have any kids (thank God) so it's a clean break. _

_I want you to know that what I did to you, was done to me. I drunkenly let it slip that I'm into women and my 'friend' told everyone. Announced it school one day, actually. My parents are confused and don't understand why I married a man in the first place if I'm a lesbian. My ex-husband feels hurt; it's apparently quite a hit to his pride that I prefer women. And I obviously don't have any friends judging by how the last several months have gone. I guess you reap what you sow, right? _

_I know this was a long time ago, and maybe you don't want to re-hash this, or maybe you still hate my guts and never want to hear from me again, but I would like a chance to apologise to you in person. Please call me at my parents' place. _

_Truly,_

_Gail_

Holly read the letter over and over, the words tumbling through her brain. She wasn't really sure what to think. Being outed in high school was an awful experience, but that was a long time ago, and she'd certainly moved past it. Gail's letter sounded contrite, but there was that voice in her head that reminded her that the blonde had deeply hurt her and that she owed her nothing.

"But that was a long time ago," Holly muttered under her breath while she stared off into space.

"What's that, Holly-bear?" her father asked over the evening news.

"Huh?" she said, shaking herself back to reality.

"You just said something. What's on your mind? You've been off in your own world since before dinner. Are you having girl problems?" he asked.

"No, dad, it's-," she smiled at him while he looked at her earnestly. He had been amazingly supportive of her since she told him about her preference for women. "It's sort of a girl problem," she confessed. He nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, before I met your mother, I had plenty of girl problems of my own. Lay it on me."

"Do you remember my friend Gail, from high school?" she asked, knowing full well he knew what the blonde had done to his little girl. To his credit, his face didn't change.

"Yes," she said simply.

"Apparently she was outed in a manner that was shockingly similar to the way she outed me. She says she'd like to see me to apologise for outing me in high school," she told him.

"You know, it takes a lot of guts to apologise," her father told her. She contemplated this.

"But it feels like she's only apologising because she is in need of my friendship; as though she's doing it because she's desperate. What she did was really awful, dad."

"You're right, what she did to you in high school was awful. But high school was a long time ago and people grow up. Wouldn't you feel better about it if you had an apology?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I think that scab may have healed. I'm afraid this could rip it off," she said truthfully.

"Well, Holly-bear, you have to do what is best for you; you need to be your first priority. If you don't want to see her, if you're not ready, you don't owe her anything. She treated you poorly and it's good to give a person the benefit of the doubt, but only on your own terms, Holly-bear." Holly looked at her father. It never ceased to amaze her how wise he could be.

"I don't think it would serve anything to see her. I think it would just put salt in very old wounds," she admitted.

"Then I guess you have your answer," he said with a supportive smile.


End file.
